By Ankit Panda
China and Sri Lanka will conclude over 20 agreements during Xi Jinping’s visit to Colombo.
Just a day after traveling to Maldives, Chinese President Xi Jinping began a visit to Sri Lanka on Tuesday as part of his South Asia tour that will also include a visit to India. His brief stay in Colombo will mark the first trip by a Chinese president to that country. Coinciding with his arrival in Colombo and in a somewhat unusual diplomatic move, Sri Lanka’s Daily News published an op-ed authored by the Chinese president himself that presents an illuminating view of how the Chinese leader views bilateral relations with Sri Lanka.
The language in Xi’s op-ed is lofty and rife with symbolism and references to history. The language also heavily emphasizes the burgeoning maritime partnership between Sri Lanka and China. Xi recalls a “1,000-year-old bond” between China and Sri Lanka, first through the spread of Buddhism and later through the travels of famed Chinese seafarer Zheng He. Xi’s allusion to Zheng is particularly noteworthy as Zheng’s maritime exploits are experiencing somewhat of a revival in China amid the country’s own naval modernization initiatives. Evoking Zheng ostensibly positions China as a peaceful and outward-looking power in Asia.
When it comes to Sri Lanka, Xi is remarkably laudatory. Xi’s article begins by referring to Sri Lanka as a “Pearl in the Indian Ocean,” commending the country for “displaying great vitality in the 21st century.” He additionally notes that the bilateral relationship between China and Sri Lanka is a positive example of “how countries of different sizes can live in amity and cooperate with each other for mutual benefit”—something Xi can’t really say about China’s relations with smaller states in Southeast Asia, for example. Bilateral ties between Sri Lanka and China have been steadily improving since Mahinda Rajapaksa came to power in Sri Lanka. Building on growing trade and investment ties, Xi and Rajapaksa will begin a free trade agreement (FTA) dialogue. China’s current ambassador to Sri Lanka estimates that the two leaders will conclude over 20 agreements.
Read the full story at The Diplomat